sports | Andrew Champagne

Andrew’s Play of the Day: 1/12/20

Posted on January 11, 2020 by Andrew Champagne

RECORD: 8-3

If you ever want to drive yourself crazy, go on Twitter and seek out conversations among horseplayers centering around takeout and breakage. If you winced reading those terms, you’re not alone. These conversations will leave you with headaches if you’re not careful.

There are very few things worse on horse racing Twitter than people who complain about takeout and then don’t play sequences with low takeout. This is why I feel it important to remind you that Sam Houston Race Park just started its 2020 season. In addition to its announcer’s booth housing good friend Chris Griffin, its wagering menu boasts an ultra-low takeout of 12% on multi-race exotics (such as the Pick Five and Pick Four).

If these pools are robust, other tracks are going to notice, and it could create a much-improved environment for horseplayers. Canterbury Park tried drastically-reduced takeouts once, and that didn’t take, for whatever reason. I’m going to be looking at these races and taking shots when I have some confidence. If you’re a takeout hawk, and you’re serious about putting your money where your mouth is, you should, too.

Oh, and Saturday night went pretty well for me, too.

It was a fun, profitable evening playing @SHRP. The late Pick Five and Pick Four, which I hit on AAAAB and AAAB tickets respectively, combined to return a nice chunk of change (almost $258) on a reasonable investment ($28). Hope you hit, too.

Moral of the story: I’ll be back! pic.twitter.com/D7lMxnnRiF

— Andrew Champagne (@AndrewChampagne) January 12, 2020

SATURDAY’S RESULT: Villanova and Georgetown made me sweat the total a bit. However, while Villanova’s offense looked rejuvenated in the win, the Hoyas struggled just enough to bring the total to 146, which meant my “under 147.5” play was a winner.

SUNDAY’S PLAY: It’s back to the NFL for me, and I’ll focus on the first game in Sunday’s playoff doubleheader. The Kansas City Chiefs host the Houston Texans and are favored by 9.5 points. That’s not a small spread, but I think Houston’s playing with house money at this point. Add in that the Chiefs are at home and have enjoyed a week of rest, and I think they’re going to be very tough to stop. I’ll give the points with KC and hope it doesn’t come back to bite me.

Andrew’s Play of the Day: 1/11/20

Posted on January 10, 2020 by Andrew Champagne

RECORD: 7-3

It’s official: I’m making my first visit to the Blue Grass State this April. Several of my best friends in the game have made the unfortunate mistake of opening their home to me as I make my maiden voyage to Keeneland, play overly competitive board games, and (arguably most importantly) eat lots of food.

I’m excited for the trip, and if you’ll be at Keeneland on Saturday, April 11th, chances are you’ll see me around filming stuff for my YouTube channel. If you do, come say hi! It’s going to be a great time, and hopefully it comes complete with a few winning tickets.

FRIDAY’S RESULT: Unfortunately, Iona played probably their best game of the season to date. The Gaels were 6.5-point underdogs at Rider, but wound up winning outright. Somehow, this is Rich Ensor’s fault.

SATURDAY’S PLAY: As much as I’d like to bet some NFL playoffs action, it’ll have to wait until Sunday, as I’m just not in love with the Saturday slate. Instead, my focus is on an old-school Big East college basketball showdown, as Georgetown heads to Villanova for a 12 pm Eastern tilt. Both offenses have been sputtering a bit of late. The “under” is 6-1 in Villanova’s last seven games and 5-1 in Georgetown’s last six, which makes the 147.5 total perplexing. I’m taking the “under” here, as even a 75-65 game is a cover with room to spare.

Andrew’s Play of the Day: 1/10/20

Posted on January 9, 2020 by Andrew Champagne

RECORD: 7-2

You know, I had something planned for this section out of a weird combination of incredulousness and a hearty sense of humor. I posted my chat with Gino Buccola on social media yesterday, and it was responded to in a fashion that I found…strange.

I was actually going to listen, but as usual, @AndrewChampagne’s unjustified arrogance at the beginning of the interview made me close it out.

— Damian Sasso (@DamianSasso) January 9, 2020

I had planned to write something here that eviscerates Damian Sasso. However, due to recent developments, I can’t do that.

Life’s too short to get wrapped up in nonsense on Twitter. There are times where horse racing Twitter has been the weirdest community I’ve ever been part of, and this is coming from a guy whose college friend group routinely sings, “I Want It That Way,” by the Backstreet Boys, at weddings and social functions where microphones are present.

Strong opinions and an environment that minimizes accountability are a combustible mixture. Given a few things I saw Thursday night, it’s not one I have any interest contributing anything fiery to.

I still think the tweet was a puzzling reaction, but you know what? Damian Sasso is entitled to his opinions as much as I’m entitled to mine. I hope he’s well, and if I ever run into him at a racetrack, he’s got a beverage of his choosing on me. Additionally, I hope a lot of people in racing who may be reading this find whatever peace they’re looking for.

THURSDAY’S RESULT: My logic wasn’t bad with College of Charleston, as the Cougars did indeed go on the road to beat Elon. However, they only won by eight, and in doing so fell short of the 9.5-point spread.

FRIDAY’S PLAY: OK, time for some MAAC-tion! Much to the consternation of a prickly conference commissioner who has me blocked on social media for no good reason, I used to work in an athletic department in that conference, and I keep up with what goes on pretty well (and no, there’s no inside information happening here).

Anyway, perennial conference contender Iona is 2-7 on the year and has been without head coach Tim Cluess for much of the season. On Friday night, they head to 8-5 Rider, a team that’s lost to the better squads it’s faced (Wisconsin and Temple, to name two) but beaten almost everyone else. The homestanding Broncs are 6.5-point favorites, and I’ll take them to cover that spread.

Andrew’s Play of the Day: 1/9/20

Posted on January 8, 2020 by Andrew Champagne

RECORD: 7-1

My conversation with Gino Buccola went online Wednesday afternoon. In it, we went point-by-point through my 50-item plan to improve horse racing, and we wound up talking for nearly an hour and a half. It’s available at the 41-minute mark of the full “That’s What G Said” podcast, which I’ve conveniently skipped to in the YouTube upload below.

If you prefer to access it on SoundCloud, it’s available there, too. When we wrapped, I remarked that it may be the best thing I’ve ever done, and I meant it. If you like horse racing and the podcasts that cover it, give it a listen. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

WEDNESDAY’S RESULT: UConn was up seven at the half against Tulane and stretched the lead to double-digits after the break. However, the Green Wave showed some fight and made the Huskies sweat before falling 67-61. That was well within the 11-point spread, so it’s another win.

THURSDAY’S PLAY: The College of Charleston Cougars played a brutal non-conference schedule. However, they’ve won five straight ahead of a road game at fellow Colonial Athletic Association squad Elon Thursday night. The Phoenix are 4-12, have lost five straight, and are only getting 9.5 points. That doesn’t hit me as anywhere near enough. I’m taking Charleston to cover, as I don’t think this one will be close.

Andrew’s Play of the Day: 1/8/20

Posted on January 7, 2020 by Andrew Champagne

RECORD: 6-1

I’m a proud graduate of Ithaca College, having earned my degree from there in 2010. In my time there, I got to meet some really cool people, from fellow students who became some of my best friends to professors who are some of the most knowledgeable, giving people I’ve ever met (I still talk to several of them regularly).

One of my classmates was a woman named Samantha Matt. She was a fellow TV/Radio major, and she’s since turned to the writing world. She’s got a new book out titled, “Average is the New Awesome,” and the excerpt that’s available online knocked me on my rear end.

Go read the excerpt, and then spend $17 to buy the book, especially if you’re in our age group and have ever felt some degree of apprehension about the choices you’ve made and the way you’ve lived your life. Chances are you’re doing just fine, even if you think otherwise.

Sam, you did a really nice job. From one Bomber to another, well done!

MONDAY’S RESULT: I said I wouldn’t be surprised if Virginia Tech, a 4.5-point underdog at Syracuse, won outright. That’s what happened, and while I’m able to notch another winner, I can’t help but feel like I should’ve given out the money line instead.

TUESDAY’S PLAY: For the first time in this exercise, I had a little bit of trouble landing on a game. If I could pass, I would, but I won’t resort to that as a cop-out. Instead, I’ll ride my hot streak into Connecticut, where the UConn Huskies host Tulane as 11-point favorites. UConn certainly deserves to be favored, but that spread hits me as several points too large. Like the Huskies, the Green Wave boasts a 9-5 record, and Tulane has averaged 77 points per game over their last three, so they won’t be intimidated if this turns into a shootout. UConn likely wins, but I’ll take Tulane getting 11 points, because I think this will be a pretty close game.